Ammunition supply means

ABSTRACT

An ammunition storage and feeding mechanism having a flexible endless metal conveyor belt spiralled into concentric turns about a common axis and disposed within an ammunition box, the inner belt turn being connected to the outer belt turn. The belt having abutments spaced in the lengthwise direction thereof to receive ammunition rounds having their lengthwise axes parallel to the common axis of the belt turns, the belt transferring the rounds to a rapid fire gun feeding mechanism located adjacent the radially outer layer of the belt. The belt is driven by a pair of sprockets respectively driving the inner and outer belt layers at the same speed with the outer empty belt layer portions becoming the radially inner belt layer portions as the belt is driven.

[54] AMMUNITION SUPPLY MEANS United States Patent l l3,590,684

[72] Inventor Kenneth J. Gilbert FOREIGN PATENTS 5,625 1888 Great Britain... 89/33 D 17 5 No i 1969 Primary ExaminerBenjamin A. Borchelt [45] Patented july'6 Assistant ExaminerStephen C. Bentley {73] Assign Emerson Electric Co. Attorneys-Stanley N. Garber and William R. OMeara St. Louis, Mo.

ABSTRACT: An ammunition storage and feeding mechanism having a flexible endless metal conveyor belt spiralled into concentric turns about a common axis and disposed within an ammunition box, the inner belt turn being connected to the outer belt turn. The belt having abutments spaced in the lengthwise direction thereof to receive ammunition rounds having their lengthwise axes parallel to the common axis of the belt turns, the belt transferring the rounds to a rapid fire gun feeding mechanism located adjacent the radially outer layer of the belt. The belt is driven by a pair of sprockets respectively driving the inner and outer belt layers at the same speed with the outer empty belt layer portions becoming the radially inner belt layer portions as the belt is driven.

PATENTEUJUL 6l97i 3,590,684

SHEET 1 OF 2 PATENTEDJUL elm: 3590.684

SHEET 2 OF 2 FIG. 3

llllllllllllllllll lll IIIlllllllllllllllllllllllllill lllI Illllllllll This invention relates to ammunition supply means and more particularly to an ammunition storage and feeding device.

In certain ammunition storage and feeding devices of the prior art, the rounds were linked by pivotal connection means to form a cartridge belt which was helically wound within a drum about a cylindrical column to provide axially spaced spiral belt turns with the lengthwise axes of the rounds extending in radial directions. Devices of this type have a relatively large axial height and generally require relatively large bearings and complicated drive mechanisms. Also, the stacking density, in some cases, is relatively poor. In some constructions the drive mechanism must overcome considerable inertia and friction occurring as a result of ammunition sliding over other ammunition that is at rest.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to provide improved ammunition supply means.

Another object is to provide an improved ammunition storage and feeding device having a relatively high stacking density.

Another object is to provide a novel storage and feeding device wherein linkless ammunition can be used.

Another object is to provide a novel method of storing and feeding ammunition rounds to a rapid fire gun feeding mechanism.

Still another object is to provide an improved storage and feeding device which is relatively simple in construction and operation and obviates the necessity of relatively large belt driving means.

Yet, another object is to provide a novel belt for transferring ammunition from storage means to a gun firing mechanism which can be reused.

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention an ammunition storage and feeding mechanism is provided which includes a belt spirally wound about an axis to provide a plurality'of concentric belt turns, the belt having spaced abutment means thereon providing spaces for receiving ammunition rounds with the axes thereof parallel to said axis, and means for driving the belt for moving the rounds sequentially to ammunition removal means. According to. another aspect, an endless belt is held in spiral form with portions thereof movable between the innermost and outermost belt turns. In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a flexible belt for transferring ammunition from storage means to a gunfiring mechanism is provided which has a plurality of spaced abutment means thereon to locate ammunition rounds therebetween, and means for driving the belt. These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent hereinafter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a perspective view of an ammunition storage and feeding mechanism according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the mechanism of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 1; and I FIG. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the belt of FIG. 1.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

2 DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings and particularly to FIG. 1, a storage and feeding device is shown including a magazine or ammunition box 12 containing an endless ammunition or cartridge belt 14 spiralled in concentric turns about a central vertical axis with the outermost portion thereof looped back 1 to the center of the spiralled belt. The belt 14 carries ammunition rounds l6 and is driven by a driving mechanism indicated generally at 18. The device 10 is shown mounted to base 20 by means of a plurality of brackets 21.

As seen also in FIG. 2 and 5, the ammunition belt 14 includes an endless flexible metal strip 22 having an upper series of spaced abutments 24 and a lower series of spaced abutments 26. Each round 16 is located with an upper end portion between an adjacent pair of abutments 24 and a lower portion between an adjacent pair of abutments 26. The belt 14 may be formed of any suitable material, for example, thin corrosionresistant sheet metal, such as stainless steel, or, in some cases, a suitable plastic material. In the case of sheet metal, the series of abutments 24 and 26 can be formed from continuous sheet metal strips of the same type of metal as the strip 22. The strips of metal forming the abutments 24 and 26 can be properly aligned with each other and connected, such as by spot-welding to the strip 22 during the manufacture thereof. The strip 22 is perforated with two rows of sprocket holes 28 and 30 so that the strip can be driven by the driving mechanism 18, as will be more fully described hereinafter.

The ammunition box 12 includes a cover 12a and bottom 12b having complimentary axially extending portions providing a peripheral wall 12c. The cover 12a has a central opening 27 and the peripheral wall 12c has an opening 29 (FIG. 4) which connects with a chute or guide member 31 attached to the box by screws and a bracket 33.

The driving mechanism 18, as seen in FIG. 3, includes a pair of driven sprocket gears 32 and 34 connected to a shaft 35 mounted for rotation in a bearing 36 mounted in the base 20, adjacent to the inner turn or layer of the belt 14. The teeth of gears 32 and 34 respectively enter the sprocket holes 28 and 30 in the belt and move the belt when rotated. The gears 32 and 34 are rotated by a chain-driven sprocket wheel 38 connected to the shaft 35 axially beyond the box 12. A drive shaft 40, also shown in FIG. 4, is mounted for rotation in a bearing 42 located in the base 20 radially between the outermost turn of belt 14 and the box 12. A sprocket wheel 43 is mounted on shaft 40 and connected through a drive chain 44 to sprocket 38 to rotate it in response to rotation of sprocket 43. A pair of driving sprocket gears 45 and 47 are connected to shaft 40 for rotation therewith which respectively enter the sprocket holes 28 and 30 to drive the belt 14 at the outer turn. The shaft 40 is driven by a power input source, indicated at 46 in FIG. 1, which may be any suitable driving mechanism for driving the belt 14 in accordance with the desired rate of firing of a rapid fire gun (not shown) that is fed ammunition by the device 10. The mechanism 46 may include, for example, suitably controlled electric motor.

The drive shaft 40 also drives an ammunition transfer mechanism, indicated generally at 48, which sequentially removes the rounds 16 from the belt 14 and feeds them to the breach (not shown) of a rapid fire gun, such as the rotor of a Gatling gun, or a gun feeding mechanism, such as an ammunition conveyor, (not shown). The transfer mechanism 48, as seen more fully in FIGS. 2 and 4, includes a drive gear 50 connected to shaft 40 below the base 20 which meshes with a driven gear 52 connected to a driven shaft 54 mounted in a bearing 56 in the base plate 20 at a location outwardly of the belt 14. Connected to shaft 54 are transfer sprockets 58 and 60 provided with peripheral arcuate slots 62 and 63, respectively. The slots 62 are engageable with upper portions of rounds 16 while the slots 63 are engageable with the lower relatively larger, portions of rounds 16. The walls of the slots 62 and 63 engage a round 16 during movement of the belt 14 and move the round against a pair of arcuate cam portions 65 and 66 of a pair of cam members 67 and 68 which are connected together and fixed to base such as by screws 69. Each round 16 is moved outwardly along the cam portions and into a suitable round receiving device (not shown).

As the belt 14 is driven by the driving mechanism 18, the empty portion of the belt is guided by a guide member 70 back to the center of the spiralled belt. Guide member 70 is connected to box 12 by a bracket 71. A depending lip 72, as seen in FIG. 3, aids in guiding the empty belt portion back into the center of the spiral. The guide member 31 is attached to box [2 to guide the belt and ammunition rounds 16 from the box to the transfer mechanism 48.

in operation when an associated rapid fire gun (not shown) is firing, the input power source rotates shaft 40 and sprockets 38 and 43. The gears 32, 34,45 and 47 drive the spiralled belt 14 through the transfer mechanism 48 where the rounds 16 are removed from the belt and transferred to the gun. The belt 14 of course, exits from the guide member 31 near the transfer mechanism 48 and the empty portion of the belt passes through guide 70 and reenters the box 12 near the center.

By spiralling the belt 14 in concentric layers, that is, with the adjacent side edges of the belt layers in a common radial plane, the box 12, as illustrated, is relatively thin or shallow, it being only slightly higher than the length of the ammunition rounds 16.

The tolerances required in the manufacture of the belt 14 are not critical. For example, in the illustrated embodiment, the belt abutments 24 and 26 do not clamp the rounds 16 so that the distances between the abutments are not critical. The rounds l6 slide on the bottom 12b, and the upward movement thereof is limited by the cover 12a. The rounds 16 in an inner layer are radially located or limited in movement by an adjacent belt layer. Of course, the rounds in the outermost belt layer are limited in radial movement by the box 12 and those in the guide 31 by the inner wall thereof.

The belt 14 does not require the use of linked ammunition, that is, ammunition linked together by pivotal links. Ammunition rounds that are pivotally linked, however, can be used where desired or required. in such cases, the transfer mechanism can be adapted, for example, to merely pass the linked ammunition to the gun firing mechanism.

It will be apparent that a relatively high ammunition round density is obtained by the device 10. Also, by rotating the shaft 40 in the opposite direction and feeding ammunition rounds to the transfer sprockets 58 and 60 of transfer mechanism 48, an empty belt 14 can be quickly and easily filled with ammunition. The belt 14 can economically be reused.

In view of the above, it will be seen that the several objects of the invention are achieved and other advantageous results obtained.

As various changes could be made in the above construction without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative, and not in a limiting sense.

What I claim is:

1. Ammunition supply means for supplying ammunition rounds to a gun feeding mechanism comprising container means, endless belt means adapted to carry ammunition rounds, said belt means having a plurality of belt turns retained in a spiral by said container means with the radially outermost belt turn connected to the radially innermost belt turn, and means for moving said belt means in the lengthwise direction thereof for moving said rounds successively to said feeding mechanism.

2. The ammunition supply means according to claim 1, including guide means adapted to guide portions of said belt means between said innermost and outermost turns during movement thereof.

3. The ammunition supply means according to claim I, wherein said belt means comprises a flexible strip having abut ment means spaced along the lengthwise direction thereof to define spaces therebetween for respectively receiving said rounds with the long axes thereof parallel with the axis of said spiral.

4. The ammunition supply means according to claim 3, wherein said strip is of sheet metal.

5. The ammunition supply means according to claim 4, wherein said moving means include a pair of drive means engaging and driving said innermost and outermost belt turns, respectively.

6. The ammunition supply means according to claim 5, wherein said belt means has a series of sprocket openings spaced along said belt means, said pair of drive means including a pair of sprocket gears cooperable with said sprocket openings for moving said belt means.

7. Ammunition storage and feeding means for supplying ammunition rounds to a gun feeding mechanism comprising container means, belt means including a plurality of substantially concentric belt turns retained in spiral form about an axis by said container means, said belt means comprising a metal strip having sprocket openings and being adapted to carry said rounds with the long axes thereof parallel to said axis, and means for moving said belt means lengthwise thereof to supply said rounds successively to said feeding mechanism, said belt moving means including a pair of sprocket gears cooperative with said sprocket openings, respectively, at the radially innermost and outermost belt turns.

8. Ammunition storage and feeding means for supplying ammunition rounds to an ammunition transfer device comprising container means having spaced opposed walls and a peripheral wall connected between said opposed walls, one of said opposed walls having an opening therein, said peripheral wall having an opening therein, an endless belt including a plurality of spiralled belt turns disposed in concentric relation about an axis within said container and a portion extending outwardly through said peripheral wall opening and looped back into said opposed wall opening, a plurality of abutment means on said belt means spaced along the length thereof providing spaces for receiving ammunition rounds with the long axes of said rounds parallel to said axis, and drive means for moving said belt in the lengthwise direction thereof past said transfer device.

9. The ammunition storage and feeding means according to claim 8, wherein said drive means include driving means disposed radially between said container and said belt portion and drivingly engaged therewith.

10. The ammunition storage and feeding means according to claim 8, wherein said belt comprises a relatively thin flexible sheet metal strip.

11. The ammunition storage and feeding means according to claim 10, wherein said strip has a plurality of sprocket holes spaced along the length thereof, said drive means including a pair of sprockets cooperating with said sprocket holes for moving said belt.

12. The ammunition storage and feeding means according to claim 11, wherein said abutment means includes a plurality of spaced metal members welded to said strip.

13. The ammunition and storage means according to claim 11, including drive means for simultaneously driving said sprockets.

14. The method of storing ammunition rounds and feeding the same to a rapid fire gun comprising the steps of coiling an endless flexible belt into container means in the form of a spiral having a plurality of concentric turns with a portion of the belt looped between the radially outermost turn and the radially innermost turn, inserting ammunition rounds along the lengthwise direction of said belt, with the axes of said rounds parallel with the axis of said spiral, and moving the belt in the lengthwise direction thereof past an ammunition transfer device during operation to successively remove said rounds while maintaining the major portion of the belt in spiral form.

15. Ammunition storage and feeding means for supplying ammunition rounds to a gun feeding mechanism comprising endless, coiled belt means, means for retaining said belt means the was about which the belt is coiled and the radially outermost turn of said belt being connected immediately to the radially innermost turn of said belt. 

1. Ammunition supply means for supplying ammunition rounds to a gun feeding mechanism comprising container means, endless belt means adapted to carry ammunition rounds, said belt means having a plurality of belt turns retained in a spiral by said container means with the radially outermost belt turn connected to the radially innermost belt turn, and means for moving said belt means in the lengthwise direction thereof for moving said rounds successively to said feeding mechanism.
 2. The ammunition supply means according to claim 1, including guide means adapted to guide portions of said belt means between said innermost and outermost turns during movement thereof.
 3. The ammunition supply means according to claim 1, wherein said belt means comprises a flexible strip having abutment means spaced along the lengthwise direction thereof to define spaces therebetween for respectively receiving said rounds with the long axes thereof parallel with the axis of said spiral.
 4. The ammunition supply means according to claim 3, wherein said strip is of sheet metal.
 5. The ammunition supply means according to claim 4, wherein said moving means include a pair of drive means engaging and driving said innermost and outermost belt turns, respectively.
 6. The ammunition supply means according to claim 5, wherein said belt means has a series of sprocket openings spaced along said belt means, said pair of drive means including a pair of sprocket gears cooperable with said sprocket openings for moving said belt means.
 7. Ammunition storage and feeding means for supplying ammunition rounds to a gun feeding mechanism comprising container means, belt means including a plurality of substantially concentric belt turns retained in spiral form about an axis by said container means, said belt means comprising a metal strip having sprocket openings and being adapted to carry said rounds with the long axes thereof parallel to said axis, and means for moving said belt means lengthwise thereof to supply said rounds successively to said feeding mechanism, said belt moving means including a pair of sprocket gears cooperative with said sprocket openings, respectively, at the radially innermost and outermost belt turns.
 8. Ammunition storage and feeding means for supplying ammunition rounds to an ammunition transfer device comprising container means having spaced opposed walls and a peripheral wall connected between said opposed walls, one of said opposed walls having an opening therein, said peripheral wall having an opening therein, an endless belt including a plurality of spiralled belt turns disposed in concentric relation about an axis within said container and a portion extending outwardly through said peripheral wall opening and looped back into said opposed wall opening, a plurality of abutment means on said belt means spaced along the length thereof providing spaces for receiving ammunition rounds with the long axes of said rounds parallel to said axis, and drive means for moving said belt in the lengthwise direction thereof past said transfer device.
 9. The ammunition storage and feeding means according to claim 8, wherein said drive means include driving means disposed radially between said container and said belt portion and drivingly engaged therewith.
 10. The ammunition storage and feeding means according to claim 8, wherein said belt comprises a relatively thin flexible sheet metal strip.
 11. The ammunition storage and feeding means according to claim 10, wherein said strip has a plurality of sprocket holes spaced along the length thereof, said drive means including a pair of sprockets cooperating with said sprocket holes for moving said belt.
 12. The ammunition storage and feeding means according to claim 11, wherein said abutment means includes a plurality of spaced metal members welded to said strip.
 13. The ammunition and storage means according to claim 11, including drive meAns for simultaneously driving said sprockets.
 14. The method of storing ammunition rounds and feeding the same to a rapid fire gun comprising the steps of coiling an endless flexible belt into container means in the form of a spiral having a plurality of concentric turns with a portion of the belt looped between the radially outermost turn and the radially innermost turn, inserting ammunition rounds along the lengthwise direction of said belt, with the axes of said rounds parallel with the axis of said spiral, and moving the belt in the lengthwise direction thereof past an ammunition transfer device during operation to successively remove said rounds while maintaining the major portion of the belt in spiral form.
 15. Ammunition storage and feeding means for supplying ammunition rounds to a gun feeding mechanism comprising endless, coiled belt means, means for retaining said belt means in spiral form about an axis, and means for moving said belt means lengthwise thereof to supply said rounds successively to said feeding mechanism, said belt means being adapted to carry said rounds with the long axes of the rounds parallel to the axis about which the belt is coiled and the radially outermost turn of said belt being connected immediately to the radially innermost turn of said belt. 